Puri
is a city of God and the district headquarters of Puri district, situated on
the Bay of Bengal. The city famous for its best swimming beaches and is
approximately 65 kilometres south of the state capital Bhubaneswar in the
Indian State of Orissa. It is also known as Jagannath Puri after the 11th
century Jagannath Temple located in the city. Puri is a one of the holy city of
the Hindus faith as a part of the Char Dham pilgrimages. According to Hindu
teachings, a pilgrimage of the temples of India is not considered complete unless
the journey to Puri made.
Puri
is endowed with one of the best beaches for swimming in India with its fine
white sands, roar of breakers rolling in from the Bay of Bengal and countless
devotees flocking the place for a purification dip. It is one of the popular beach
resorts among the tourist. The beach is continued to be a sacred venue for an
endless number of pilgrims coming to pay homage to Lord Jagannath.
In
the month of November, annually there is organized beach festival which has
become a favorite haunt both for Indian and foreign beach lovers. The beach is
geographically positioned in such a way that both sunset and sunrise can be
viewed from the beach. A comparatively clean and quite place for sunbathing and
a relaxed swim can be found at the eastern end. On the Chakratirtha side, the
long stretch of golden sand is more tranquil and pleasant place to stroll. However,
the swimmers to take enough precaution while swimming as the currents can be
treacherous in Puri.
The
beaches of Puri are also renowned for the sand sculptures created particularly
by the internationally famed Sudarshan Patnaik. The subjects are generally
inspired by sculptures covering the temple walls, characters and episodes from
the mythology and also the contemporary events. An entire beach stretch can be
completely yours given the immense number of beaches in Odisha (Orissa) and a
comparatively lower number of fun lovers, the city being a popular pilgrimage
point for Indians.
Places of
attraction in Puri:
Jagannath
Temple:
The Jagannath Temple in Puri is a famous Hindu Temple dedicated to Lord
Jagannath and located in the coastal town of Puri. The name Jagannath (Lord of
the Universe) is a combination of the Sanskrit words Jagat (Universe) and Nath
(Lord of) . The temple is an important pilgrimage destination for many Hindu
traditions, particularly worshippers of Krishna and Vishnu, and part of the
Char Dham pilgrimages that a Hindu is expected to make in one's lifetime . The
temple was built in the 1135 AD atop its ruins by the progenitor of the Eastern
Ganga dynasty, King Anantavarman Chodaganga Deva. This shrine is elaborately
shaped with high shikhars. Internal chamber of the temple is sustained by 16
pillars. The temple is famous for its annual Rath Yatra, or Chariot festival,
in which the three main temple deities are hauled on huge and elaborately
decorated temple cars. Since medieval times, it is also associated with intense
religious fervour.
The
temple is sacred to the Vaishnava traditions and saint Ramananda who was
closely associated with the temple. It is also of particular significance to
the followers of the Gaudiya Vaishnavism whose founder, Chaitanaya Mahaprabhu,
was attracted to the deity, Jagannath, and lived in Puri for many years.
Puri –
Rath Yatra (Car Festival): Ratha Yatra, the Festival of Chariots of Lord Jagannatha is
celebrated every year at Puri, the temple town in Orissa, on the east coast of
India. According to legends Lord Jagannath expressed his desire to visit his
birthplace “Gundicha Ghar” ones every year. Moreover Subadra wanted to visit
her parents place –Dwarka, therefore his two brothers Jagannath and Balbhadra
took her there on this day. Another legend is that Lord Krishna and Balram went
to Mathura on this day to participate in the competition on the invitation of
king Kans.
Puri
Rath Yatra festival comes in the month of June – July of every year. It starts
on the second day of bright fortnight of month Ashada according to Hindus month
calendar. On this day three chariot Nandigosha (Yellow colored), Taladwaja
(Blue Colored) and Deviratha lined up in front of Jagannath Temple. The presiding
deities of the main temple (Sri Mandira) Lord Jagannatha, Lord Balabhadra and
Goddess Subhadra, with the celestial wheel Sudarshana are taken out from the
temple precincts in an elaborate ritual procession to their respective
chariots. The huge, colourfully decorated chariots, are drawn by hundreds and
thousands of devotees on the bada danda, the grand avenue to the Gundicha
temple, some two miles away to the North. After a stay for seven days, the
deities return to their abode in Sri Mandira.
Markandeshvara
Tank:
as per Legends of India Lord Vishnu become the Neem tree situated close to the
temple. This religious spot is having some more temples surrounding such as
Gundicha, the Sunaragauranga, the Lokanath, the Tota Gopinath and the Daria
Mahabir temples. Religious people visit the temple regularly and dip into this
holy tank.
Sudarshan
Workshop and Museum:
Tourist here can watch the replicas of the holy chariots. God idols in
different shape are also available at this workshop.
Excursion
near Puri City
Konark (35
kms away):
Konark is the very well-known place for the only big Sun Temple in India. The
Sun Temple was built in the 13th century and designed as a gigantic chariot of
the Sun God, Surya, with twelve pairs of ornamented wheels pulled by seven
horses. Some of the wheels are 3 meters wide. Only six of the seven horses
still stand today. The big 12 pair wheeled chariot tired by seven strong horses
is the dignity of this small city.
Balighai
Beach:
The incredible beach where the tourist can take pleasure of most alluring beach
side ornaments is Balighai, though visitors have to travel 8 kms to reach the
destination. The beach is situated by the side of the Bay of Bengal and at the
mouth of the river Nuanai, Balighai, provides wonderful opportunity to
experience confluence of the calm river with the turbulent sea. Most part of
this place is fringed by lovely causarina trees. This place is also famous for
shy Baliharina deers who reside in this area. Now its very rare to sopt a deer
in this area, if you are lucky then you will be able to catch a glimpse of the
Baliharina deer. Another special attraction of this beach is the Sea Turtle
Research Centre, where you can watch the large turtles fluttering around in
their tanks.
Balighai sea beach attracts lots of domestic and overseas visitors to enjoy the natural scenery. The magnificent sunrise and sunset site of the beach is an unforgettable experience for tourists’. Tourists can also enjoy sunbath on the neat and clean sea beach and explore the gift of nature by boat riding on the Nuanai River. The scenic beauty of this place is ideal for group picnic with family, friends and your beloved.
Sakshigopal
Temple:
The next wonderful spot is the temple of Lord Sakshi Gopal located at distance
around 20 Kms from Puri. The legend is that Lord
Gopal who came to bear witness known in Sanskrit as Sakshi is worshipped in the
Temple.
This Lord
Krishna temple is world-known for architectural grandeur.
Raghurajpur
(10 kms away):
the next famous Indian tourist place near Puri is Raghurajpur where a tourist
can enjoy paintings and art galleries.
Pipli (36
kms away):
the craft and handmade items at Pipli are most demanding even in abroad. The
cloth pouches and various craft items are supplied to different countries as
well. The embroidered covers with obscure appliqué are fine examples of work
done by Puri workers.
Best
time to reach puri is between Octobers to April as the temperature in summer
season goes to 30 degrees or more, whereas winter average temperature is 17
degrees.
Reaching
Puri City:
By Air: BPA (Biju Patnaik
airport) situated at Bhubaneswar is the big air head to reach Puri. This
airport is only 56 kms away from the city. Bhubaneswar airport is directly
connected with almost every big airport of India such as Delhi, Mumbai and
Chennai.
By Train: the big railway
station of Puri junction is connected with almost every city of India. Frequent
and direct trains from the different cities allow travelers to reach the spot
easily. The big railheads connected to Puri are New Delhi, Kolkata and Chennai.
By Bus: OTDC (Orissa Tourism
Development Corporation) buses are available linked with diverse cities of
Orissa to Puri. Direct and regular buses from Bhubaneswar, Konark and Cuttack
are attainable for the tourist.
